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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. sharp — clever
  5. tube — the underground
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bound — tied together
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. spell — letters
  13. tube — a container
  14. wind — moving air
  15. can — a tin
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. squash — to crush
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. squash — the sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com